All the effort the rest of the country put into getting ready for Thanksgiving last week has come to visit here, as we get ready for Saint Andrew's Day on Thursday. I am taking a break from cleaning to veg on the 'net. Then its back to scrubbing the kitchen that I plan to feed people from so they don't gross out. With that said, I suppose I'd better get back to it. I have found a few tidbits upon which to wax philosophical, but they can wait until after Thursday.

25 November 2006

1…. The saving grace of God through Jesus Christ. If I hadda do this on my own, I'd be soooooo screwed...2. The iPastor, love of my life, partner in crime, father of my Things, and just a heckuva guy, dontcha know?3. My Things, who constantly surprise and delight me.4. Memories of my family of origin, the gifts they gave and the times we shared.5. My adopted family, who never seem to remember the "adopted" part.6. My church family, small, strong and united in our diversity.7. Books! Got a new one for Christmas already!8. Rural holiday traffic, or lack thereof. Makes my holiday commute so much nicer.9. Quick reflexes, and the resulting surviving deer on said drive.10. Quirky holiday table conversations about bodily functions. The hilarity from watching my mom snort her drink out her nose is fun enough.11. Sleep. I could use some after working until 2:30 am last night, before that holiday drive...12. Backseat drivers helping me come up with 13 things to be thankful for when I'm having a total brain fart.13. That the Wii makes iPastor's Mii so dang sexy! Rawr!Links to other Thursday Thirteens!1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

24 November 2006

Had a lovely day with friends and family yesterday. After we tucked iPastor in for a nap before night shift, I packed up the Things and hauled them to G'ma & G'pa's house. It's a relatively short drive, and it will give them an extra day to take their Christmas trip with Aunt Tahmi before the "official" family Christmas celebration on Saturday. I am heading back soon, as both iPastor and I work tonight, then we will join them in the morning.I had ben pondering a profound and meaningful Thanksgiving post, but I got nothing, and so many, including iPastor, have done so much better. Enjoy, and have a great weekend. Also, plese take a moment to ponder this as you gear up for your Christmas (or holiday of choice, but we love CHRISTMAS!)

21 November 2006

Actually got a few nibbles while I was fishing today! Unfortunately, the kinds of things I got done don't really show, but it felt good anyway. iPastor cleaned out the cars and the porch, and that stuff shows right away. I brought lawn furniture in, and set it up in the foyer. We're going away for Thanksgiving, but the following Thursday we'll be hosting a Saint Andrew's Day Scots supper. The apostle Andrew is the patron saint of Scotland (et al) We tried to give the Saint Pat's revelers a run for their money last year, and decided to do it again it was so much fun. Good eats, too. Digression aside, I'll need the extra seating anyway, and today was a lovely day to work in the yard. Brought out the outside Christmas deco, cleaned up the yard a bit, and put a small dent in both the mountain of junk in Thing 2's old room, and the stack of paperwork on and around my desk. It's time to start putting together some music for audition. I entered a sizeable talent contest last year at a relatively nearby casino, and got accepted. Didn't make it very far, but there were pros in my round that didn't make it either, so I didn't feel too bad. It's also hosted by a live band, which is awesome. Application packets for this year should soon be here, so I'd best get cracking.Now, I think I've earned my nice warm bed tonight!

20 November 2006

Once, many years ago, I was listening to a book on tape. I can't remember for sure, but I think it was by Lewis Grizzard. Anyway, it was folksy humor. The writer talked about finding yourself on a day when your work is done, so you think you might go fishing. You remember your neighbor borrowed your pole. You go to get it, but you borrowed his trailer last week. You go to hitch it to return it, but the tire is flat. Your other neighbor borrowed your compressor, and you promised him you'd take something to town for him, so you get the compressor, fill the tire, load the trailer, and your wife says "...as long as you're going to town..." You get her list, head for town, drop the load, run the errands, take the trailer back to the other neighbor, get your pole and put it in the garage because you don't have time to go fishing any more. iPastor listened to the same book, and ever since then, "going fishing" has been code at our house for becoming hopelessly sidetracked. I'm having that kind of morning. I went to turn the TV on, but it had been unplugged. When our TV has a hard loss of power, the parental lock resets. There's only one remote that has the button for that. The batteries were gone. I looked under the couch cushions and discovered and archeological trove of nasty. So I dragged out the vacuum, cleaned under the couch cushions, and resumed looking for the batteries. Got the TV on for Thing 4, and cleaned up the mess he made while I was working on the couch. I have a feeling there will be no fish for supper here tonight.

19 November 2006

How sadly ironic that on my last day at Job 1 (assisted living) one of the charter residents died. We opened the place together, and left it together, too. iPastor and I had assumed that his full-time income would be "extra" (hah!), but in hindsight I truly believe he was given that job to clear my way to move on at this time. I just keep trusting, and giving credit where it's due.

Job 2 has now been promoted. There aren't a lot of hours, but tips are good, and it is a pleasant group of people. It's also a fertile ground for planting seeds by leading by example. I'm actively seeking another job, but planning to put the free time I have to the best use I can.

16 November 2006

Thing 4 came chirping into my bedroom this morning with a little plastic box of pennies, and one nickel. He showed me his "coins" and proceeded to count them. He can make it all the way to thirteen without any help. He can tell the nickel and pennies apart, and when I added a quarter to the mix he told me what that was, too. He identifies numbers and letters on signs when we're out and about. No doubt this kid will be supporting me someday.

Since I've started out singing his praises, I'll go with that for today's theme...

Thirteen Things about My Own Things that I love

1…. All 3 girl Things love to read! That they love to read instead of coming when called, or doing what they were told, I don't love quite so much... 2. They have 4 completely distinct laughs. 3. Things 1&2 draw little cartoons that make me laugh. Now they need to not do it during class. 4. Thing 2 has adapted my rather non-sequitur sense of humor. 5. They all still like to snuggle! 6. They all love to sing. We sing in the car, or crank the stereo at home. 7. The older things are hilarious to embarrass at the grocery store by singing and dancing to the 60s radio music. The younger two dance along. 8. They are all very softhearted and compassionate. I fear this may lead them to some heartbreak along the way, but I wouldn't change it. 9. They are fearless, but will shriek like ninnies and let me chase them around the yard with garter snakes and frogs. 10. They don't seem to let my prejudices color their decisions. 11. Thing 1 isn't afraid to suggest and try new ideas (launching a school paper, homeroom secret pals), even if they don't work out. 12. Thing 3 has a memory like a steel trap. I wish she'd find better things to recite than out-of-context carton blurbs, tho... 13. Thing 4 is full of kisses and love for anyone he meets.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!(leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)1.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

13 November 2006

The trip home was safe and uneventful. No unusual wildlife or unfortunate incidents. I hate driving in the dark, though. It's one thing to be driving home under the cover of blackness at midnight, but another entirely to drive in the dark at 6:30. The trip home was a shade over 4 hours, with a 15 minute stop just over halfway. All tolled, the trip up was roughly the same. Our gas mileage sucked on the way up. Dunno if it was the wind, a slightly deflated tire for part of the trip, the extra 5mph on the Dakota interstate, or a combination thereof. The trip up took almost a full tank. We didn't even break half on the way home. That's a puzzler. iPastor points out that we did a fair amount of climbing on the way, too, and we did add some miles with a couple of side trips and in-town driving. We refilled the tank at 330 miles, and pulled in at our house at almost exactly 250.I am a bad mom. I let my kids sleep this morning rather than drag them out of bed and force them to get on the bus. Their parent-teacher conferences on Thursday proved that they are all indeed gifted little geniuses, so one day off won't kill 'em. Since I have 'em home to boss around, I am hoping we will have some teachable moments of the housework kind. uess to do that, I'll have to lead by example, so I must. get. up. now!

11 November 2006

So, apparently I’m too much of a geek to stay off the ‘net when I am away from home. *sigh*

I am roughing it, however, since my friend has dialup. How twentieth century.

Dinner with bro went swimmingly, and we headed off up the interstate. We live in rural America, and roadkill is a daily occurrence in our neck of the woods. I see dead deer, possums, skunks, what have you, on the side of the road every day. Usually they are fairly intact or somewhat flattened but identifiable. Dakota interstate roadkill kicks it up a notch. The speed limit is 75, which means most folks are doing at least 80, and the interstates are heavily traveled by semi trailers. When a deer meets all 18 wheels of a semi at 80, it is not a pretty site. Roadkill is more like road hamburger: mangled bits of fur with perhaps a foot or rib sticking out. Some poor DOT schlub has the job of flagging them for pickup, so we’d see a red smear along the road, a tuft of fuzz, and a little orange flag flapping in the breeze. Ew.

The highlight of the drive came between Fargo and Jamestown on the interstate. I had been particularly watchful for deer and pheasants in my path, not wanting to cause or become hamburger myself. It was twilight, and off on the side of the road ahead I saw a shadow, slowed down, flicked my lights, hit my horn and ran the list thru my head of what to do to avoid hitting a deer. The shadow moved onto the road and it was a huge, beautiful bull moose. Either my antics tipped people off, or they were being as watchful as I was, because everyone slowed down and he ambled safely across both lanes and the median and loped off into the field on the far side. The kids were mightily impressed with that.

We joined the bowling party in progress, and had a lovely evening visiting. Thing 4 slept with us. iPastor is still in nocturnal mode, so he left early. I woke to a wiggly little boy who crept over to the window and chirped, “A beautiful day!” When I giggled at him, he turned to me and said “Good Morning, Sunshine!” With that for a start, we’re off for a day of loafing and shopping before tomorrow’s installation festivities. Not a bad weekend outlook. Ta!

08 November 2006

Once again, if you have followed the blog from its former incarnation, you have already heard me extol the virtues both therapeutic and physical of hanging the area rugs on the clothesline twice a year and beating the snot out of them. It is a great workout and a stress reliever, but it might put you off carpet for good when you see all the junk that comes out of a rug even after you vacuum regularly. Ick. This year, I had a couple of particularly stubborn mashed-in banana spots, so I did something I had considered in the past, but never actually got around to doing. I went to the basement and got the power washer and beat the heck out of the rug with water. Woohoo! Great satisfaction in that.

In anticipation of my busy day tomorrow, I'll post my 13 early...

Thirteen Things about What I packed/did before a road trip with 4 Things!

1. Sleeping bags

2. Charged extra batteries for all various electronic gizmos the kids and iPastor tote.

3. Car pillows

4. Cleaned accumulated detritus from the minivan

5. Found 2 pairs of "lost" dance shoes in said van

6. Assisted kids to find "those tights" and "those jeans" that they just HAVE to bring.

7. Changed (L) headlamp (again!! I think it has a short...)

8. Ditto the (R) running light.

9. Checked google maps for vaguely interesting things to see on the way, knowing we'll have several potty/stretch/smoke stops to make for all involved.

10. Bought bday presents for bothe kids: the one having the bday and the one whose we missed last month.

11. Answered itinerary questions multiple times in multiple configurations for all kids and iPastor (should've written 'em down and stuck 'em on the fridge...)

12. Did my own laundry in a panic, realizing I only have about two free hours between jobs until we go.

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

06 November 2006

I have a timer keeping me from wasting too many hours on the internet today. We have been blessed with a small batch of beautiful days. I am trying to get outside and hang clothes on the line, pick up the yard, and clean out the van in anticipation of our trip to North Dakota at the end of the week.One of my best friends/roommates from college(v1.0) is being installed as pastor at her new church in Jamestown this weekend. I had thought of visiting this weekend anyway, just because it is a long weekend for the kids from school. Turns out that this was her installation weekend, and it is birthday party time for her youngest as well. We will detour very slightly through Watertown, SD, to have a birthday lunch with my brother as well. If you have been a follower of the blog for a while (all two of you) this trip also gives us a chance to continue the concrete animal tour of the upper midwest. Someday I will dig through the archives and repost the concrete animal pictures.Now that I have put in my notice, I have a sever case of short-timer's syndrome. I can hardly wait to get through this last two weeks so I can have some time to get things done. I am making progress on the house, and doing some searching for another day job. I am hoping to register for some courses online to FINALLY finish college(v2.5), but I may have to find something very flexible in case I am limited to traveling to a physical classroom.Turns out I forgot to switch on the timer, but I think I will voluntarily pry my rear from this chair and take it and Thing 4 outside for a little R&R, and some yardwork.

03 November 2006

iPastor is officially done in the field for the year, so that takes one item out of our crazy schedule. I am seeking a new day job, trying to stay flexible to get school taken care of, but still pay the bills. Pew. Nothing much else going here. Spent a good chunk of my evening in bed last night, with the general yuck. I've been polishing resumes and hitting the employment sites, so not much time to wax philosophical on anything much. I'll post again when I'm interesting. Wait, if that's a prerequisite, you may never hear from me again...

The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!